How do I keep this break?

[wurliuchi]

ID CC 2017. When I export to reflowable ePub I lose the hard breaks in the body text (two carriage returns). How do I keep the spacing please?

Thanks!

[BobLevine]

Why are you using two returns? Use paragraph styles with space after defined.

[wurliuchi]

I guess because there's a fundamental thing I don't understand about using space before or after. If I use it in body text, for example, every time I hit return for a new line I get a big gap and I don't want that. I only want it to break once in awhile.

Thanks.

[BobLevine]

Then use more than one paragraph style.

[wurliuchi]

I thought of that, but in the middle of writing and typing I have to switch over to another style? That just seems awkward and clunky.

Thanks again. I'm not arguing or being contrary, I'm just trying to understand and come up with something that works for me.

[wurliuchi]

I guess I could work as usual and then do a Find for two Returns and with Grep delete the second one and somehow apply a paragraph style with space before to the next line. If that's even possible.

[wurliuchi]

Hey, that worked!

Update. it works with Space After, not Space Above like I originally thought.

In GREP

Find what: ~b~b

Change to: ~b

Find Format: the paragraph style with no spacing

Change Format: a copy of the paragraph style with space after

[Derek Cross]

Your "grep" is already available in the drop-down in Find / Change – and others as well – see the screen shot below.

As mentioned use Paragraph (and Character) styles for all text.

[wurliuchi]

Thanks, i see that, but mine adds the paragraph style with space below. If i were to get rid of only the extra returns, I would be lost in the text.

I do have styles applied to all text. I just don't use space above or below in body text. That is until now, when I needed to export to ePub and consequently mobi and all those extra returns were stripped away. 

Live and learn.

Thanks

[Derek Cross]

Don't forget to validate the ePub, such as: EPUB Validator (beta)

[wurliuchi]

Will do. Thanks for the tip and link. Very helpful.